Some of the best waterfowl hunting in the nation. Learn and share your experiences duck hunting in the Republic of Texas. From the Canada geese of the Panhandle to the Snows of Houston and estuaries for ducks on the coast and the livestock impoundments to the west.

I am confused. I have read the regs and the way I interpret it is that you can hunt over it as long as you do not manipulate it. I bought seed to plant and was told later that it would be illegal to hunt this year. I ended up calling tpwd office and they said it would be illegal to hunt this year but that it would be legal next year if it came back on its own. Does anyone know for sure??

I've heard this about texas too. When I was there hunting, my buddy had a ranch outside of Wichita Falls, and said that we were specifically to stay away from the wheat fields to the north of his homestead but told us we could hunt it next year. I also believe that in the first year, you have to harvest the field and let it come back before you can hunt.

Give a man a duck... Feed him for a day... Teach him to fowl hunt... Feed him for a lifetime...Teach him in your spot... Learn to hunt a different spot....

LTMFH wrote:You CAN hunt over millet, corn, milo what ever you plant. You CAN hunt it dry, flood it. You can NOT manipulate it. The second year you CAN manipulate it. Who ever told you other wise was wrong.

Btw, Oklahoma plants thousand of acres of millet every year for hunters to hunt over. Many duck clubs in the mid west plant crops then flood them and hunt the same year.

Now for dove hunting you can plant crops and manipulate them.

This is for migratory birds, which is dove, duck & sandhill cranes. Read before you post and have someone get in trouble.

TPWD wrote:YBaiting (the following baiting rules have been established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service):A hunter MAY hunt any migratory game bird:over standing crops, standing flooded crops, and flooded harvested cropsat any time over natural vegetation that has been manipulatedwhere seeds or grains have been scattered as a result of normal agricultural planting, harvesting, or post-harvest manipulationover crops or natural vegetation where grain has been inadvertently scattered as a result of entering or leaving the field, placing decoys, or retrieving downed birdsusing natural vegetation or crops to conceal a blind, provided that if crops are used, no grain or other feed is exposed, deposited, distributed, or scattered in the processexcept water fowl and cranes where grain or other feed has been distributed or scattered as the result of the manipulation of a crop or livestock feedingA hunter MAY NOT:hunt migratory birds with the aid of bait, or on or over any baited areahunt over any baited area until 10 days after all baiting materials have been removedhunt waterfowl or cranes over manipulated planted millet, unless the millet was planted more than one year prior to huntinghunt waterfowl or cranes over crops that have been manipulated, unless the manipulation is a normal agricultural planting, harvesting, or post-harvest manipulation

possumfoot wrote:i cant remember who said it, but they said it best.. to a grown man, watching child birth is like a 9yo watching disney land burn to the ground..

I had the same thing happen last year and was told by a warden it was illegal to hunt the first year. I ended up sending an email to the TPWD office in Austin with your question and this is how they replied.

You can hunt over it the first year, however, you may not walk through,drive through, shred it down, disk it or make any of the seed heads todrop their seed by anything or any activity you do to cause such. Readthe Waterfowl baiting federal laws very closely since we follow suitwith those.http://www.fws.gov/le/HuntFish/waterfowl_baiting.htm

I think the best course of action on this subject is to always keep your local game warden "in the know." If you hunt private or leased land and want to plant contact the game warden and discuss your intentions. Discuss your understanding of the law with them and they will give you their opnion. Most of the tickets I've seen written were in the eyes of the warden and their interpretation of regulation/law.

This is for migratory birds, which is dove, duck & sandhill cranes. Read before you post and have someone get in trouble.

TPWD wrote:YBaiting (the following baiting rules have been established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service):A hunter MAY hunt any migratory game bird:over standing crops, standing flooded crops, and flooded harvested cropsat any time over natural vegetation that has been manipulatedwhere seeds or grains have been scattered as a result of normal agricultural planting, harvesting, or post-harvest manipulationover crops or natural vegetation where grain has been inadvertently scattered as a result of entering or leaving the field, placing decoys, or retrieving downed birdsusing natural vegetation or crops to conceal a blind, provided that if crops are used, no grain or other feed is exposed, deposited, distributed, or scattered in the processexcept water fowl and cranes where grain or other feed has been distributed or scattered as the result of the manipulation of a crop or livestock feedingA hunter MAY NOT:hunt migratory birds with the aid of bait, or on or over any baited areahunt over any baited area until 10 days after all baiting materials have been removedhunt waterfowl or cranes over manipulated planted millet, unless the millet was planted more than one year prior to huntinghunt waterfowl or cranes over crops that have been manipulated, unless the manipulation is a normal agricultural planting, harvesting, or post-harvest manipulation

Manipulation of Crops and Other VegetationAgricultural crops, other feed, and natural vegetation may be manipulated to improve dove hunting. Manipulation means the alteration of natural vegetation or agricultural crops by activities such as mowing, shredding, discing, rolling, chopping, trampling, flattening, burning, or herbicide treatments. Manipulation does not include the distributing or scattering of seeds, grains, or other feed after removal from or storage on the field where grown. You should be aware that although you can hunt doves over manipulated agricultural crops, you cannot hunt waterfowl over manipulated agricultural crops except after the field has been subject to a normal harvest and removal of grain (i.e., post-harvest manipulation).

This is for migratory birds, which is dove, duck & sandhill cranes. Read before you post and have someone get in trouble.

TPWD wrote:YBaiting (the following baiting rules have been established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service):A hunter MAY hunt any migratory game bird:over standing crops, standing flooded crops, and flooded harvested cropsat any time over natural vegetation that has been manipulatedwhere seeds or grains have been scattered as a result of normal agricultural planting, harvesting, or post-harvest manipulationover crops or natural vegetation where grain has been inadvertently scattered as a result of entering or leaving the field, placing decoys, or retrieving downed birdsusing natural vegetation or crops to conceal a blind, provided that if crops are used, no grain or other feed is exposed, deposited, distributed, or scattered in the processexcept water fowl and cranes where grain or other feed has been distributed or scattered as the result of the manipulation of a crop or livestock feedingA hunter MAY NOT:hunt migratory birds with the aid of bait, or on or over any baited areahunt over any baited area until 10 days after all baiting materials have been removedhunt waterfowl or cranes over manipulated planted millet, unless the millet was planted more than one year prior to huntinghunt waterfowl or cranes over crops that have been manipulated, unless the manipulation is a normal agricultural planting, harvesting, or post-harvest manipulation

Manipulation of Crops and Other VegetationAgricultural crops, other feed, and natural vegetation may be manipulated to improve dove hunting. Manipulation means the alteration of natural vegetation or agricultural crops by activities such as mowing, shredding, discing, rolling, chopping, trampling, flattening, burning, or herbicide treatments. Manipulation does not include the distributing or scattering of seeds, grains, or other feed after removal from or storage on the field where grown. You should be aware that although you can hunt doves over manipulated agricultural crops, you cannot hunt waterfowl over manipulated agricultural crops except after the field has been subject to a normal harvest and removal of grain (i.e., post-harvest manipulation).

I will stick to what I read on TPWD website and what I've gotten by doing without getting a ticket. At a fundraiser we've held every year the game warden comes by to eat some BBQ and hang out. No need in changing our hunting habits and risk a chance.

When you can get around 100-150 birds opening morning though, there isn't much need to.

Mark

possumfoot wrote:i cant remember who said it, but they said it best.. to a grown man, watching child birth is like a 9yo watching disney land burn to the ground..

Are you talking about Doves or Waterfowl. Dove regs are not the same as waterfowl regs when hunting over crops.

MarkM wrote:

LTMFH wrote:

MarkM wrote:

This is for migratory birds, which is dove, duck & sandhill cranes. Read before you post and have someone get in trouble.

TPWD wrote:YBaiting (the following baiting rules have been established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service):A hunter MAY hunt any migratory game bird:over standing crops, standing flooded crops, and flooded harvested cropsat any time over natural vegetation that has been manipulatedwhere seeds or grains have been scattered as a result of normal agricultural planting, harvesting, or post-harvest manipulationover crops or natural vegetation where grain has been inadvertently scattered as a result of entering or leaving the field, placing decoys, or retrieving downed birdsusing natural vegetation or crops to conceal a blind, provided that if crops are used, no grain or other feed is exposed, deposited, distributed, or scattered in the processexcept water fowl and cranes where grain or other feed has been distributed or scattered as the result of the manipulation of a crop or livestock feedingA hunter MAY NOT:hunt migratory birds with the aid of bait, or on or over any baited areahunt over any baited area until 10 days after all baiting materials have been removedhunt waterfowl or cranes over manipulated planted millet, unless the millet was planted more than one year prior to huntinghunt waterfowl or cranes over crops that have been manipulated, unless the manipulation is a normal agricultural planting, harvesting, or post-harvest manipulation

Manipulation of Crops and Other VegetationAgricultural crops, other feed, and natural vegetation may be manipulated to improve dove hunting. Manipulation means the alteration of natural vegetation or agricultural crops by activities such as mowing, shredding, discing, rolling, chopping, trampling, flattening, burning, or herbicide treatments. Manipulation does not include the distributing or scattering of seeds, grains, or other feed after removal from or storage on the field where grown. You should be aware that although you can hunt doves over manipulated agricultural crops, you cannot hunt waterfowl over manipulated agricultural crops except after the field has been subject to a normal harvest and removal of grain (i.e., post-harvest manipulation).

I will stick to what I read on TPWD website and what I've gotten by doing without getting a ticket. At a fundraiser we've held every year the game warden comes by to eat some BBQ and hang out. No need in changing our hunting habits and risk a chance.

When you can get around 100-150 birds opening morning though, there isn't much need to.

Hunting over a field or food plot that has been manipu- lated by shredding, burning or windrowing is legal for dove hunting but not for waterfowl. For doves, you can do any- thing to the crop except harvest and redistribute it onto the same field.

You CAN hunt over millet that you planted in the same year as long as you do not manipulate it. In fact, you can walk through it or your dog can walk through it to retrieve ducks or get to your hunting spot. That's not considered manipulation. Anyone on this forum that tells you otherwise is wrong. I have had this discussion with STATE AND FEDERAL game wardens. This isn't rocket science. Now go plant your millet and kill some birds.

I've chatted with the local game warden about this subject. Those who say you can hunt it first year are correct but it is true you can not manipulate it in its first year. After the first year it's a recurring crop.